Chusetts



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

-CHARLES H. CRRAN AND ENOCI-I WHALLEY, OF HOLYOKE, MASSA- CHUSETTS.

SAFETY-PIN SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,723, dated March 3, 1896.

Application filed December 23, 1895. Serial Nox 572 ,968. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLEs H. CURRAN and ENOCH VVHALLEY, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety-Pins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety-pins, and has for its object such arrangement and construction of the guard or shield for the point of said pin as will permit the latter to be disengaged from said point-shield by pressing together the two sides thereof; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction of said shield from a metal blank and its adaptation to the point of the pin.

In the drawings forming part of this specication, Figure l isa side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line oc ce, Fig. 2, looking toward the point of the pin. Fig. 4 is a plan View of the metal blank from which the pointshield is made.

In the drawings, A is a safety-pin of the usual construction, a spring-loop being formed in the length of wire constituting the back and the point end in the usual manner and having attached to the lower of said two wires the point-shield B.

The point-shield B is made of any suitable spring metal, the configuration of the blank from which it is bent up being shown in Fig. 4. Said blank is constituted principally of the two side portions D D, having attached thereto the two arms D D and integral therewith. The lines on which said blank is bent to form the point-shield are shown dotted on 4. In forming said point-guard the blank is first bent on the line E, which brings the two sides D D and the two arms D' D opposite each other; but, as will be seen by the position of the arms D in the blank relative to the dotted line E, the arm on the righthand side of the blank, as shown in the drawings, will be in a position above the arm D on the left-hand side of the blank shown in Fig. 4. After said blank has been folded on the line E, as above described, the said arms D D are bent respectively to the right and to the left on the lines E and around the' edge of the upturned `side D on the side opposite to said arm D. When said arms have been so bent, the positions thereof relative to each other are shown in Fig. 3, wherein it will be observed that in bending the blank on the line E it is bent ou such circle as to iit the end of the wire to which it is to be attached by soldering, leaving a space between the two sides D about equal to the diameter of the wire, and it will be observed that the arms D, bent on the lines E to the right and to the left respectively, are so bent as to leave a space F between the inner Vface of the arm D and the outer face D of said point-shield. The circular ends of the blank are bent inwardly toward each other and outwardly again, whereby two inwardly-projecting ribs G are formed lying substantially parallel with the wire forming the pin and so maintained by the spring action of the metal blank bent upon itself on the line E. The said ribs or projections so held in contact with each other inclose the point of the pin, the spring action of the metal blank being sufficient to hold it securely therein against the spring action of the loop in the wire.

By referring to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the part D of each side of the blank is connected to the part D of the opposite side of said blank. Hence pressure being applied to the parts D in the direction indicated by the arrows tends to separate the parts D of the point-shield, as indicated by the arrows .L

on the upper part G of said Fig. 3, said action being also indicated by the oppositely-pointed arrows on Fig. 2, thereby releasing the pinpoint, and upon pressure against the parts D being relaxed the spring action of the sides of the blank resulting from the bend therein on the line E immediately moves the said parts D toward each other until the projections or ribs G come again in contact.- .The outward bend of the circular edges of the sides D above the rib G forms an easy entrance for the pin-point past the ribs G and into the space between the opposite sides D.

By the construction herein described it will be seen'that the point of the pin can be released by a simple pressure on the two parts D on each side of the point-shield regardless of the thickness of the material inclosed be- IOO an inwardly-projeating rib thereon, near its upper edge, and cach having an arm integral therewith which is bent around the end of the opposite side to a position substantially parallel with said side, whereby the movement of the said arms toward each other causes a movement of the point-inelosing sides in an zo opposite direction, substantially as described.

CHARLES H. OURRAN. ENOCH VIIALLEY.

lVitnesses H. A. CHAPIN, WM. H. CHAPIN. 

